Seeing Things Invisible
by PinkSakuraPetals
Summary: Inu/Naru "You want me to become Umino Iruka's teaching assistant?" Kagome doesn't realize a class of ninja students can be more dangerous than working out in the field. "I didn't sign up for this position, Kagome-san. I was tricked into it."
1. Chapter 1

Title: Seeing Things Invisible

Author: PinkSakuraPetals

Pairings: DECIDED

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Do you know why you're here, Kagome-san?"

Kagome nodded to the old man in front of her. "Hai, Hokage-sama. You wish to know the details of the mission I participated in last night." Her arms were beginning to get stiff in their position behind her back.

"I have already gotten a debriefing from your superior this morning. I have called you here to give you a special mission. It is completely optional, of course, but I will say now that you are the best for the job." The Hokage waited for a moment, watching the reaction of the young kunoichi. Her posture was rigid, the perfect at attention stance. "At ease, Kagome-san."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage rolled his eyes at the formality. "I know that you've recently made chunin, and as a chunin you expect higher rank missions. For you, though, I have a mission that will keep you within the city walls for at least five years." The old man slid a mission scroll across his desk. Kagome picked it up and unrolled it partially.

"You want me to become a teacher's assistant for Umino Iruka? I thought Sango-chan was given that position."

"She was, but with this newest batch of students, I felt you would be better fitted for the job. Read the class list."

Kagome's eyes scanned to paper, picking up a few key names. Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone knew who these three children were. The heiress of one of the strongest clans in Konoha, one of the two surviving members of the famed Sharingan clan, and the infamous trouble maker of Konoha. Other key clan names jumped up at her, none of them nearly as important. "I don't understand, Hokage-sama. Why am I better suited for Umino-san's assistant than Sango-chan?"

"Sango-san is an exceptional ninja, there is no doubt about that, and she certainly has much more experience than you since she graduated a year early from the Academy." The Hokage chuckled at the miffed expression on Kagome's face. "That's not to say you aren't a prime example of Konoha's best. The problem with Sango staying Iruka-san's assistant is that her clan is full of demon slayers. Although the details of Kyuubi's defeat have been kept confidential, Sango is old enough to remember that time."

"Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage leveled a stare at her. "I must know whether or not you are willing to take this position before I tell you the truth about the Kyuubi. You didn't lose any family members in the attack, but many of your friends did. What is your opinion of the fox demon?"

Kagome sat down in one of the chairs in front of the Hokage's desk. "My family is an old line of holy people. We observe demons as rational beings, much like humans, that have their own cultures and hierarchy. It is only recently, though, that my family stopped aiding the demon slayers in their hunts. We now only place wards, exercise possessing demons, and produce sutras. "

"And why is that, Kagome-san?"

"My Father believed that demons were more than wild animals that needed to be eradicated to protect the villages. Many times a demon attacks for a reason, not just because they're bloodthirsty."

"Exactly. Sango is a very open-minded individual, when compared to many of her clan members, but she still holds a prejudice against the Kyuubi. You, on the other hand, have been raised to be accepting of anyone." The Hokage fell silent, allowing Kagome to absorb that statement before continuing. "So do you accept this mission, Higurashi Kagome?"

Kagome was at a loss for words. Part of her balked at the thought of civic duty for so many years, she ached to get out in the field and make a reputation for herself that didn't include her priestess background. On the other hand, she was incredibly curious as to the secrecy surrounding the Kyuubi attack. Sango-chan remembered what happened that day, but Kagome hadn't left her family compound yet. She hadn't even known Konoha had been attacked until she went to the academy six months later, at the age of eight. She studied the old man before her. It was by his decree that the adults kept tight-lipped about what happened the night the Kyuubi was defeated, and now she was being given the chance to be privy to that information.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I will accept this mission."

The Hokage let out a small breath of relief. "What you are about to hear, you must never repeat. If you are caught speaking about this around anyone around your age or younger, the consequences with be harsh. Do you understand me, Higurashi Kagome?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Yondaime, as powerful as he was, did not kill the Kyuubi." The Hokage held up a hand to silence Kagome when she looked like she was about to say something. "Instead, he sealed the demon inside a vessel through a ritual that cost him his life. That vessel was a newborn child, a boy named Uzumaki Naruto."

Kagome blinked hard. She had known that the 'vessel' needed to contain a demon as strong as the Kyuubi would have to be human, but to use a newborn child? "Is that why the adults treat him so badly?"

The Hokage nodded. "They know they can never speak about it, but that doesn't mean they will forget. They have decided that since the Kyuubi is locked away in Naruto-chan, he must now be the Kyuubi. Their ignorance and intolerance has led to their hate. Like I said, Sango is an opened-minded young woman, but she lost family members in the battle. She would be hard-pressed to treat Naruto-chan as equally as you could. This is why I asked you to take over this position."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage chuckled. "I can see that your Father brought you up to be a fine lady. That will come in handy on infiltration missions, when you need to become a civilian. I think you will do well on the field, once you're done here." He motioned to the scroll. "Read that scroll tonight, but don't stress about memorization. You're only dealing with Academy students. Report to Iruka-san tomorrow morning before classes begin. He will fill you in on your specific duties. You are dismissed, Kagome-san."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kagome rolled the scroll up and bowed to the Hokage before heading out the door, her steps quick and steady.

* * *

Iruka looked over the papers the Hokage had sent him. Sango-san was being placed back into active field duty and a replacement had already been lined up. It was a young woman named Higurashi Kagome. He didn't recognize her as one of his students during his time as an assistant teacher and figured she was part of the other class, run by Takajima-sensei before the woman retired. A glance at Higurashi-san's file told him that she was indeed three years younger than him. She'd started Academy three years late and graduated at the age of fifteen with slightly above average scores. She gained her chunin rank during the exams four months ago, at the age of nineteen.

Iruka frowned. Higurashi-san didn't seem to be a very outstanding kunoichi. Her taijutsu was below average, she had almost no skill in genjutsu, and her weapons skill was only a few points above a beginning genin. His breath caught at her ninjutsu scores. They were obscenely high compared to her lacking skills. He hadn't seen a score like that since he'd snuck a peek at Kakashi's file. Iruka scanned her file, trying to figure out why her numbers would be so unbalanced. In her bio, Iruka read that she'd grown up in the Higurashi compound, a shrine about a mile out of the village. The family was under the jurisdiction of Konoha, but Higurashi Kagome was the only member to become a ninja. Iruka wondered if it was possible that her training as a priestess lent a hand in her exceptional ninjutsu.

A knock on the class door brought Iruka out of his thinking and he shuffled the papers back into the file before shoving the whole mess into his bag. He strode to the door and pulled it open.

"Welcome, Higurashi-san."


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Seeing Things Invisible

Author: PinkSakuraPetals

Pairings: DECIDED

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Iruka studied the younger chunin in front of him. She stood stiffly, her arms folded and resting on the small of her back. She wore the standard issue uniform: blue under clothing, green flak jacket, blue open-toed sandals with modified gripping soles, and extra bandages wrapped around both ankles and her left forearm.

"You're predominately right handed, aren't you?"

Kagome looked up at him, startled. "Yes, that's correct. How could you tell, Umino-san?"

"You have your bandages on your left arm, where they're less likely to get damaged in battle."

"Ah, I see. Your talent for observation is wasted here in the classroom."

Iruka laughed. "Some days it feels like that, but it would take quite a bit to convince me to leave this position. It is very rewarding to see my students succeed."

Kagome's expression turned considering. "Even if it means that they'll one day go out and fight? That they'll risk their lives?"

_She's a sharp one. _"I don't like to think of it as teaching my students how to fight, so much as teaching them how to defend themselves as effectively as possible. I don't think anyone would be comfortable with the idea of training children to kill."

The two chunin stared at each other a moment, appraising. Kagome broke the silence first. "I see now what the jonins meant when they said your strengths are best suited for teaching. You have an interesting way of wording things. It makes me wonder what help I can possibly provide you with, Umino-san."

"Don't sell yourself short, Higurashi-san. Your ninjutsu scores are impressive." Iruka heard the echoes of small footsteps coming from the hall and he straightened from his resting position against the front of his desk and sent an amused glance toward Higurashi-san. "You will see what kind of help you can provide when the class arrives. I hear the first few coming right about…now."

Right on cue, the class door slid open and three children walked in. Kagome, never one to cuddle every short, cute little thing she saw, was hard pressed to keep her face blank and a squeal from escaping her mouth. Each of the children were dressed in civilian clothes, though they did have the standard issue ninja sandals, and small bento boxes were wrapped in fingers still slightly chubby from baby fat.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, and Ino-chan."

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei!" The girls' enthusiastic reply made up for the boy's silence.

Iruka's face held a warm smile for the three children as they took seats close to each other.

The pink haired girl, Sakura, was the first to notice her. She nudged her blonde friend and the two of them studied her intently. Kagome stared back, not batting an eyelash. She was used to people sizing her up. Throughout her own academy experience and her training as a genin, the ninja around her underestimated her skills. She would be the first to say that she was _not_ the most valuable asset the village had, but she learned early on to use what abilities she _did_ have to take advantage of a situation.

Iruka must have noticed the staring contest between his two female students and his new assistant because he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, this is Higurashi Kagome. She will be taking Sango-sensei's place as teacher's assistant."

The girls' faces brightened immediately and they scrambled out of their seats to rush forward. Kagome blinked stupidly as both of her hands were taken in one of theirs and she was pulled down into a crouch.

"Good morning, Kagome-sensei! I'm Yamanaka Ino and this is Haruno Sakura. She's got a big forehead, but I guess she's pretty enough."

Sakura frowned. "Hey!"

"Well, it's true."

Kagome was at a loss. She'd never really had much interaction with the other girls during academy, and was the only girl in her cell as a genin, so she didn't really know how to react to such a bubbly personality. Sango-san certainly never got into fashion and boys.

"You are both very pretty."

The girls took the weak compliment with huge smiles and began jabbering quickly. Kagome tried to keep up with the conversation, but was at a loss when they started talking about hair care products.

"How old are you two?"

Sakura grabbed the chance to show Ino up. "We're nine. I'm going to be ten in two months. I'm seven months older than Ino."

Kagome hid a grin. Such a small difference in age was so important to children at this age. She looked up to see where Umino-san was and saw him conversing quietly with Sasuke-kun. The solemn boy shrugged every so often to show he was listening, but his face stayed rather stony. Something tugged on her pants and Kagome looked at the girls again. The two girls were staring at her, obviously expecting an answer.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Ino heaved an annoyed sigh. "We asked what your favorite brand of shampoo is? I use Kusabana and Sakura uses Howaitoreddo." The girls stared, hoping her answer would be their own. Kagome shook her head.

"I use the Kieuseru line."

The looks of horror on the girls' faces were priceless. Their shrieks, however, were not. She'd forgotten just how high a child's voice could go.

"_But that's a men's brand!_"

"Yes, but it's perfect for ninja. There's no scent, so any enemies with nin-dogs will have a harder time tracking me. I may as well hold up a blinking arrow to show my position if I use those flowery smelling ones."

Ino and Sakura just looked traumatized.

* * *

Kagome stood next to Umino-san at the front of the room. Nearly all of the seats were filled with children, all of whom were whispering to each other and sending looks here way. "You had me worried over nothing it seems, Umino-san. The way you made it sound, you had a class full of little monsters. They're all so well behaved."

Iruka just looked at her. "They are always like this when a new adult enters the room. They're sizing you up and looking for any weaknesses. If you show them any hint that you're easily fooled, your life will become a living nightmare." The older chunin pretended to not notice Kagome's sudden worried expression, slight that it was, and stepped forward. Immediately, all of the students stopped whispering and faced forward.

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei."

"As you can see, we have a new person with us today. This is Higurashi Kagome." A chorus of "Welcome, Kagome-sensei" filled the room. "She will be taking Sango-san's place until further notice. I expect you to treat her with the same respect that you would any other teacher. Am I understood?"

"Hai, Iruka-sensei."

The man smiled. "Good. Now today we're going to go over the different techniques for properly-"

Iruka was cut off by the classroom door slamming open. The loud noise echoed in the cavernous room. Kagome looked over to see what caused the commotion and, for a blinding moment, swore she went blind.

A little blond boy had leapt into the room, a shit-eating grin on his face. His orange pants and jacket screamed "I'm a target" and clashed horribly with the butterweed yellow of his hair.

"I'm not late, Iruka-sensei! The bell hasn't rung yet!" As if on cue, a loud bell sounded through the halls. "See! I was in the classroom before they went off! You can't mark me late!"

Umino-san's face had taken on an interesting hue. Kagome couldn't decide if it was closer to beets or brick. "Naruto, I've told you before! If the door is closed, knock first! It's rude to burst into a room like that!" The red faded a bit as the chunin took a breath. "Take your seat, Naruto, so I can continue the lesson."

Naruto, cowed by the shouting, worked his way across the room. He stopped short when he noticed Kagome. "Who're you? Where's Sango-sensei?"

"I'm Higurashi Kagome. I'm taking Sango-san's place."

The boy watched her carefully, his expression so different from the loud smiling boy that had entered the room. He was guarded. "Oh. Welcome, Kagome-sensei."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Kagome could see that the boy was a bit surprised by the civil treatment he received and watched as he took his seat quickly, prodded onwards by Umino-san's glare. As the chunin turned around to pick up the pile of papers from his desk, though, Kagome saw a fond look pass over his face for a brief moment.

The morning lessons passed quickly enough. A few of the students tried to nap at the very beginning, but when Kagome slammed a heavy textbook on the table in front of them, the whole class came to the realization that she wouldn't be easily pushed over. Crumpled sheets of paper made short-lived flights that ended up in the garbage each time and spit balls were just as effectively dealt with. The students learned just how accurate a chunin could be with a straw and a wadded up, soaking wet piece of paper.

It was during the lunch break that Kagome saw what the term "rabid ankle-biters" meant. The second the bell signaled the beginning of lunch, most of the class was at the door, fighting to be the first one out. Naruto was at the head of the pack, rubbing shoulders with Inuzuka Kiba. Both boys were tightly jammed into the doorway.

The mess was finally sorted out and the two chunin were left in the startling silence left behind by the stampede of students. Kagome turned to Umino-san when he let out a small chuckle.

"So, Higurashi-san, do you think you'll survive the week?"

Kagome nodded. "I still don't believe that the children are as bad as you say. They seem quite manageable to me."

Umino-san just smiled patronizingly. "I suppose you'll learn soon enough."

* * *

I appreciate all constructive criticism. Hugs go to **yumeniai** for pointing out an "oops" on my part in chapter one. It's been fixed.

No, I will not disclose the pairing. A couple of people have nailed it, so check their reviews. (And no, I will not change my mind just because you ask for something different.)

Kagome's stats will be explained sooner or later.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Seeing Things Invisible

Author: PinkSakuraPetals

Pairings: DECIDED

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

The sound of children shouting and playing hit the chunins' ears before they made it out the door. The other academy levels were also outside for their lunch breaks and the additional numbers made the noise increase ten-fold. Most students stayed together in a group of their own age, but a few broke off to eat with their siblings.

Iruka's class had set up camp near the shade of a few trees along the east side of the building. Ino and Sakura were side by side, lunches out for comparison. Both girls argued that their desserts had been made better by their own mother and their shouting was growing in volume rather quickly. The boys in the class sat a safe distance away, out of the range of any thrown food. Hinata was nearly hidden by the shrubs situated around her. She looked at the arguing girls out the corner of her eye, but Kagome wasn't sure if it was because she wished she could join them, or because she was keeping an eye out for food torpedoes as well.

Kagome sat down next to Iruka, her lunch just waiting to be dug into. The older chunin had two boxes and Kagome couldn't resist a comment.

"Are you sure you should eat the much, Umino-san? I'm afraid you won't be able to get in enough training time to work all that food off."

Iruka sent her a mildly annoyed look, similar to one given to an irritating child and unwrapped the boxes. "Only one of them is for me. I make a second one for-"

"ME!" Naruto plopped down in front of the two chunins, startling Kagome enough to make her drop a octopus wiener. The young blonde held out his hands expectantly, an eager smile on his face. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei! What'd you make me this time?"

Iruka smiled indulgently and handed over the lunch. "Not ramen, so don't get your hopes up. There are plenty of vegetables in there, and I expect you to eat them, or you won't get the dessert Hamacho-san made for you." Naruto let out a whine that sounded fairly canine and shifted impatiently. His blue eyes were wide open in an attempt to beg the dessert out of the chunin, but while Kagome was having a hard time resisting the look, Iruka remained unmoved. "Eat it all, Naruto."

"Fine, fine, but you'd better give the dessert as soon as I'm done, Iruka-sensei. I haven't forgotten the last dessert you were supposed to give me."

"Well, I'd better not catch you trying to pawn off your unwanted food to Choji, then. Otherwise I'm going to eat it again."

Kagome watched Naruto dig into his lunch unhappily before turning to Iruka. "Who is Hamacho-san?"

"My landlady. She's fond of Naruto and since she doesn't have any grandchildren, she makes desserts for him every week. To keep him happy, I bring one with me for his lunch everyday."

Kagome nodded in understanding. "Hamacho-san sounds like a very generous woman. Not many would do such a thing for a troublemaker like Naruto."

"Hai, she is very wonderful."

The two chunins finished their meals quickly, all the while keeping an eye on their students. Sakura and Ino had finally given up on their argument and were eating daintily, fluttering their eyelashes at Sasuke every so often. The dark haired boy ignored the two girls wholeheartedly. Naruto finished his meal, with many grimaces and attempted spit-outs, and nearly tore off Iruka's arm to get his reward. Iruka massaged his injured shoulder with a chastising glare aimed at the rambunctious boy.

Kagome noticed that Hinata was still hiding in the shrubs and stood up to make her way over to the little girl. Pale eyes met hers when Hinata jerked her head sharply to look up. Kagome smiled, hoping to appear friendly, and the girl broke eye contact with a small blush.

"Hello there, Hinata-chan. Did you enjoy your meal?"

Hinata was quiet for so long that Kagome nearly gave up and walked away, but a small, shy voice met her ears. "H-Hai, Kagome-sensei."

"That's good. I miss the lunches my mother used to make for me. She always made my favorites. Does your mother make your favorite foods?"

"M-my mother didn't make my lunch. The Hyuuga cooks did."

"Oh, well." Kagome paused, feeling awkward. She plopped down next to the girl, startling her and smiled again. Hinata avoided looking her in the eyes, but Kagome noticed the furtive glances shot at her head. "What, do I have something on my face? I swear, sometimes I can't feed myself." Kagome rubbed a hand over her face, trying to clean it of whatever Hinata was looking at. "Did I get it?"

"N-no, I mean, there was nothing on your face, Kagome-sensei. I like your h-hair. It's pretty." Hinata blushed bright red and looked down at her hands.

"Why thank you, Hinata-chan. I like your hair, too. That's, umm, a cute haircut?" Kagome laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, I'm not really into fashion, so I don't really know how to complement someone's hair. It is cute, though." Kagome could see that the little girl was getting uncomfortable with the one-on-one attention and stood back up. "Well, I think the bell is about to ring, so you'd better start packing up your lunch box." She left the shy girl and headed back over to Iruka, where the older chunin was trying to wrestle Naruto and Kiba apart. Kagome sighed and picked up the pace.

"Boys."

* * *

The rest of class was rather uneventful. The students, with no way of pulling a prank around Kagome and the thought of their inevitable freedom, could hardly keep their attention on the lesson. Iruka finally got sick of talking to little zombies, assigned homework for the next day, and sent the children out the door. The usual pileup happened, but this time between Ino and Sakura. Sasuke had zipped out the door first and the two girls were eager to catch up with him. The class was cleared a few minutes later, leaving Kagome, Iruka, and Naruto.

"Iruka-sensei, can we get ramen? I'm hungry."

Iruka snorted. "You're always hungry, Naruto. I'm guessing it'll be my treat?"

"You said it, not me." Naruto smiled when the chunin rolled his eyes. "Kagome-sensei, do you want to come? Iruka-sensei's buying."

"Naruto!"

Kagome laughed. "No, Naruto, but thanks anyway. I promised my mother I'd visit today."

Naruto perked up. "Could I come? I want to meet Kagome-sensei's mother!" His eyes had a weird glint in them. "Iruka-sensei, you don't mind if I go with Kagome-sensei, do you?"

"You shouldn't invite yourself, Naruto. It's rude." Iruka looked at the younger chunin. "Do you mind if Naruto joins you on your visit, Kagome-san? It would be better to allow him to. He'd just follow you anyway, and then he might pull a prank."

"Hey!"

Kagome shook her head. "Naruto, my mother would be happy to meet you. She's loves spoiling children and you can distract her so that she doesn't ask me if I have enough food."

Naruto shouted in joy. "Thank you, Kagome-sensei! Here, Iruka-sensei, can you take my books? I'll stop by your apartment to pick them up later."

The blonde shoved the heavy textbooks into Iruka's hands and pulled Kagome out of the classroom, talking animatedly to whole way.

"Mama, I'm home! I've brought company!" Kagome heard the sound of sprinting feet coming from some part of the house and opened her arms for the speeding bundle that flew into her. Her little brother hung off of her neck, laughing happily.

"Kagome! I missed you! How did your mission go?" Souta hugged her, nearly choking her. He caught sight of Naruto and pulled away to look at him better. "Who're you?"

"Souta, be nice. This is Naruto. I was just made an assistant teacher and this is one of my students. He'll be eating dinner with us. Naruto, this is my younger brother, Souta."

Naruto gave an unusually shy, "Hello, Souta."

Souta jumped down from Kagome's arms and bowed to the blonde boy. "Hi, Naruto. Your hair's a funny color."

"Souta!"

"What, it is."

"It's rude to say things like that. Apologize."

"Sorry, Naruto." Souta held out a hand. "Are we friends?"

Naruto smiled deviously and grabbed the other boy's hand. "Sure, Souta." Souta shouted when his palm was shocked and Naruto laughed, raising his hand. He had a little metal object on his hand, the source of the surprise.

"Whoa, is that one of those palm-shockers? Mom won't let me have one." Souta looked up at Naruto with hero-worship in his eyes. "Can I try?"

Kagome left the boys to warm up to each other and went in search of her mother. She found her in the kitchen, stirring a pot of udon. "Hi, Mom."

Her mother turned around. "Hello, dear. I'm glad to see you're safe. Did your mission go okay?"

"Hai, we completed it successfully. I'm assistant teacher now, so you don't have to worry about me for a while."

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear that. Did I hear correctly that you've brought company? Maybe a young man?" Kagome's mother raised her eyebrows hopefully.

"Well, he's young, and he's male, but I didn't bring him here as a potential suitor, Mama. He's one of my students. Naruto expressed an interest in meeting you and I brought him home for dinner."

Her mother's shoulders slumped, but she smiled. "Well, there's still time to get grandchildren, I guess."

Souta ran into the kitchen, his expression excited. "Kagome, guess what? Naruto knows a _ton_ of pranks! He promised to teach me some!"

"Oh, dear," her mother mutter. Naruto moved from behind Souta and her eyes widened in recognition. Kagome looked between the two of them, a frown on her face.

"What is it, Mom?"

Her mother's lips moved and Kagome heard a very faint, "Minato?"


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Seeing Things Invisible

Author: PinkSakuraPetals

Pairings: DECIDED

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"Mama, what's wrong?" Kagome stared at her mother worriedly. She was very pale and looked ready to faint. Naruto and Souta shared a glance, each boy shrugging when Kagome looked over at them. "Mama?"

The older woman shook herself free of her shock and smiled reassuringly at them. "I'm alright, just a little shocked. For a moment there I thought I saw an old friend of mine. Minato had such brilliant blonde hair as well. It's nothing, though. Minato never had any children." Naruto found himself in a tight hug, Kagome's mother squealing happily. "You are just too cute, Naruto! I just bet that if Minato had kids, they'd look just like you." The blonde looked a little scared and Kagome came to his rescue.

"Mama, why don't you finish dinner? I'll set up the table. Souta, take Naruto upstairs and show him your room." Kagome pried Naruto out of her mother's arms and the two boys made a hasty retreat. She rolled her eyes at the pout her mother gave her. "Really mother, you shouldn't overwhelm him like that. That's the reason why Souta's friends don't come around anymore."

"Well, if you would give me grandbabies to spoil I wouldn't have to get my fix elsewhere, now would I?" The elder Higurashi huffed and turned back to her soup, stirring vigorously in an attempt to ignore her daughter. "If your father was alive, he'd-"

"He'd tell you the same thing."

"It's so sad that my own daughter talks to me that way. Those ninjas have corrupted you. I used to have such a polite, soft spoken little girl." Her mother pouted. Kagome sighed.

"Pouts don't work on me, I'm your daughter, remember?"

Her mother dropped the pout and smacked her on the back of the head. "Go make sure the boys wash up before dinner. It's just about done."

"Such abuse! Now I know where I get it from." Kagome dodged the towel snapped at her rear and dashed upstairs, laughing.

* * *

Dinner went fairly well. Kagome was able to thwart the boys' attempts at pranks and even managed to trick Naruto into eating his vegetables. The Higurashi matriarch herded Souta upstairs to get ready for bed and Kagome took Naruto home.

"Hey, Kagome-sensei, is Souta going to go to the ninja academy, too?"

"Our mother is very opposed to the idea. He'll be eight soon and he's been trying to convince her to let him go next year."

"How come you got to go?" The boy crossed his arms behind his head, eyes squinting in confusion.

"It was my father's wish. My older sister Kikyo had already finished her priestess training, so I really didn't need to go through it as well. It took him a few years to convince my mother that it would benefit the family if I became a ninja. Better paycheck and all that."

"What happened to your father?"

"He was killed during an exorcism. He underestimated the demon and paid for it."

Naruto winced and dropped his arms. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright. It's been years since he was taken. The pain has all but disappeared. Besides, I became a better student because of his death. When I first started at the academy I treated it as a game. I learned that to not take things seriously could cost me my life. However, there is one other thing I've learned, and that is," Kagome stuck her finger in her mouth, as if she was biting her nail. Without warning, the kunoichi pulled the blonde boy closer to her and stuck her wet finger tip into his ear. "to always have time for fun!"

"ARRGH!" Naruto batted at the hand and danced away, wiping furiously at his ear. "That's so gross! What kind of girl are you? You're so weird!"

Kagome laughed, arms around her middle. Really, Naruto was great at doling out the pranks and tricks, but he didn't know how to take them. A pout remained on his face as they continued on to the apartment building he lived in. Kagome noticed that the further they went, the conditions of the buildings got worse. She watched silently as Naruto climbed rickety stairs up to a dingy door and slid a key in. Inside the apartment wasn't much better. Part of the problem was the mess of clothes, empty containers, and random garbage that littered the floors. Naruto was only nine, he didn't have the responsibility and the discipline to keep his apartment clean. However, Kagome could see that the walls were badly cracked in the corners, something that happens over a long period of time, and the windows had large gaps around the frames.

The blonde turned to her, a light blush on his cheeks. "Sorry about the mess. If I had known you were going to walk me home, I would have cleaned up a bit." He kicked off his sandals and attempted to clean up the large amount of instant ramen cups. His garbage can was full, however, and he stood in his kitchen at a loss of what to do with the trash in his arms. Kagome cursed the mothering instinct she had and stepped forward.

"Naruto, why don't you grab a pair of pajamas and an outfit for tomorrow. I have a spare bedroom at my apartment. You can sleep there tonight. I'll help you clean up here after class." The look he sent her nearly made her scoop him up and hug him.

He looked so surprised and hopeful.

"Are you sure, Kagome-sensei?"

"Of course. Just because it doesn't snow here, doesn't mean the temperature doesn't drop at night. It's January, you've got to be cold with those gaps in the windows. Now, go get some clothes so we can go. My apartment is clear across town and it will take at least an hour to get there." She made shooing motions with her hands and Naruto dropped the empty ramen cups to hurry to his room. Kagome toed off her own sandals and quickly removed the full garbage bag and replaced it with a new one. It would be easier to clean if they had a garbage can ready to use.

Naruto returned a few minutes later, a small bag under one arm. His eyes were alight with excitement and, underneath that, wary hope. Kagome smiled at him and ruffled his hair. They put their sandals back on and locked up the apartment once more. Kagome tossed the garbage bag into the community dumpster and lead the way to her own place.

* * *

Kagome poked her head into the spare bedroom and smiled at Naruto. The blonde boy was sprawled across the futon, blankets twisted and half off the bed. The poor thing had run out of that seemingly inexhaustible energy and she was forced to carry him on her back.

She closed the door gently and tiptoed back into the living room.

* * *

Much shorter than I wanted it to be, but I've made you all wait long enough for an update. The next chapter will be longer to make up for it.


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